“For unto us, a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and the name shall be called; Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. (Isaiah 9:6) When Christmas comes, it reminds us of all things we cherish. Perhaps that’s not surprising when we realize that no other time of the year we do focus so much attention on a single theme as during the Christmas season. The sound of familiar carols, a tree with twinkling lights in a sea of brightly wrapped packages, and email messages from friends and families filled with loving greetings of the season. Christmas is the spirit of giving, as all of us believe.
The God provided us with the gift of eternal life and that is something to believe in Christmas. He left the throne and slept on straw, and that is the greatest gift in the history of mankind. The gift of God – the best gift of all ages – was wrapped in a manger. The Shepherds “went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger“, wrapped in swaddling clothes. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased“.
JESUS CHRIST came into this war-torn world of selfishness and sin for one purpose – to die as a sacrifice for our sins. He offers forgiveness to all our sins. He satisfies the deepest need of our hearts. Truly, Jesus is the gift of all times. If we give a gift to someone we love, someone we care it needs to be adequate to make a difference in someone’s life. Whether we give a hand-painted picture, a good book or a home-cooked meal, the key is to give ourselves – our love – with it. It is the spirit of love that brings life-changing hope and encouragement to others. That’s the art of giving and that’s what we need to learn from our Heavenly Father. We can be sure that we benefit the most when we give, because the Lord Jesus said. “It is more blessed to give than receive”. In giving there is bliss.
At Christmas time our hearts and minds are once again drawn to the first Christmas in the little town of Bethlehem where the word of God became flesh and took a form like ours; and was not born of man but of a virgin by the power of the Holy Sprit. “Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see the thing that happened, which the Lord has made known to us”. And, let us look beyond the manger to the Cross of Calvary; we will then see the true spirit, the reason of Christmas that brings such joy to you and me. There was excitement in the air for those who knew the true identity of Mary’s child. And, there is excitement still in the air for those who truly believe in the birth of JESUS CHRIST, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Let us recapture the joyous excitement by refocusing our attention on the event we celebrate. Keep Christ central. Sing carols. Gather with families and friends. Celebrate His birth. Give Him the honor He deserves. He is the star of our lives.
The reality is that only JESUS CHRIST can provide pardon from sin, purpose for life, power to live and peace in ones heart. There has been no one who has made such great and wonderful promises as JESUS CHRIST and the only reason he made such wonderful promises is because he is just wonderful! As voices in scores of tongues sing “Silent Night…”, and as we stand united and committed in the comforting silence…. may I take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed Christmas.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
